Baden’s Mayor And Council President Give Conflicting Accounts Of Private Meeting

Baden’s Mayor and Council President are both acknowledging taking part in a private discussion of Borough officials following the town’s public meeting this month where Council voted to table the hiring of part-time police. Although they agree about having a discussion, the two officials are giving vastly different accounts about what took place during the conversation.

Mayor Sam Gagliardi and Council President Judi Montell both tell the Beaver Countian they had a discussion with Councilmen Ted Kotula and John Shelkons that took place minutes after a public meeting on January 17th. Mayor Gagliardi had just cast a tie breaking vote to have the issue of hiring part-time police officers tabled for a month. Montell, Kotula, and Shelkons had all voted to hire the officers that night.

Mayor Gagliardi said that after the January 17th public meeting of Council he attended a planned meeting of the Public Safety Committee that was held in a small conference room in the Borough building, “There was a Committee Meeting, a meeting of the Public Safety Committee after the Council Meeting.”

Gagliardi told the Beaver Countian that the issue of hiring part-time officers was not discussed during the Public Safety Committee meeting because Council had voted to table the issue. He also said the topic of conducting an emergency phone vote to approve the hiring of police was never brought up that night.

“I had no idea they were going to have a phone vote,” said Mayor Gagliardi. “I knew nothing about it, I don’t know who planned it. I am telling you the truth.”

When asked what was discussed at the Public Safety Committee meeting, the Mayor said there were “various things” talked about, although he could not recall any of the topics specifically. He said the Committee meeting had not been recorded and no one present took minutes or notes of any kind.

Mayor Gagliardi told the Beaver Countian that anyone who claims he was part of a discussion about the hiring of part-time police that night or that he knew anything about the subsequent vote “is a liar.”

One of those people is Council President Judy Montell, who told the Beaver Countian there had not been a meeting of the Public Safety Committee the night in question.

“It wasn’t a Committee meeting, I’m not even a member of the Public Safety Committee,” said Montell. “It was a coming to Jesus meeting with the Mayor.”

Councilwoman Montell said that she, Kotula, and Shelkons were all shocked Mayor Gagliardi had voted against hiring the part-time officers that night and wanted an explanation from him why. Montell said Gagliardi had been strongly in favor of approving the hires prior to the meeting.

“I remember saying to the Mayor, why did you choose to break the tie in the ‘No’ vote,” said Montell. “I don’t know what that was about and I never really got an answer.”

She said the hiring of part-time police was just about the only subject of discussion that night, although she can not remember whether the topic of conducting an ’emergency’ phone vote had been brought up.

“As far as I am concerned it was not an emergency,” said Montell. “I’m told one of the officers that was going to resign didn’t resign so we don’t need all of those officers now.”

Council President Judy Montell said she was surprised when she got a call two days later asking her to vote on hiring the part-time officers.

“I was doing some stuff in my house and my phone rang and it was [the secretary],” said Montell. “It came as a surprise to me […] I said, I have no problem with hiring the police officers, I just want to make sure that this is legal. I wasn’t comfortable with the vote and I asked her to call the attorney. This happened I want to say 11:00 am, about 1:00 pm she called me back, she said he advised against it, he didn’t think it was the appropriate way to go.”

Judy Montell said the phone vote is void and she now plans to vote to approve the part-time hires at the next public meeting in February, “I would love to hire full-time police officers and never have to worry about this, but we can’t afford it.”

Montell insists she does not know who requested the phone vote take place and never bothered to ask who initiated it.

“I hope you can figure this all out because I can’t,” she told the Beaver Countian. “Do your investigative work and let me know when you’re done.”

If only you would follow the law of the Sun Shine Act, be transparent, you would not look like Bumbling Fools trying to hide something, blaming each other, pointing , he said /she said, be honest from the start, it will all come out in the wash anyway , an the Beaver Countian is the washing machine .
Now ya’all look like a couple of monkeys playing with a basketball , good for laughs , but not for City Government accountability .

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Jan 30, 2018 8:37 pm

Guest

Courthouse Janitor

I’m not even on a member of the Public Safety Committee…… YOU’RE PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL. YOU ARE PART OF EVERY COMMITTEE. Dipshit.

Its like you got to take these people by the hand this is the law this is what you have to do. The sunshine law applies to Baden to. Jeez…………………………..

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Jan 30, 2018 9:09 pm

Guest

Presto

This town is a mess. Lead by a bunch of uneducated politicians. Limit how many times you can run for office. Where’s councilman Dave? Thought he was going to save the town. He’s only worried about supporting the fire Dept and snubbing the police department

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Jan 30, 2018 9:41 pm

Guest

Uncle wah wah

What did I say before? It’s amateur hour BECAUSE they are amateurs at this. Limit terms, vote them out? And who would be on council. If you get rid of five, history suggests that the next election you would have 3, maybe, 4 seats with no candidates. Shrinking, aging populations, both spouses working, usually outside the district and by the time you number people that could do the job and find those that would want to do the job, you get two or three to run the borough.